In an ISIS video released Tuesday, Goto and Yukawa were shown handcuffed and in orange T-shirts with a black-clad militant threatening to kill them within 72 hours if a $200-million ransom is not paid. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would not say whether it would pay the ransom, although Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama was dispatched to Jordan to seek the country's support in resolving the hostage crisis.

NHK also showed a message from Goto himself that was filmed by the guide. "My name is Kenji Goto, I am a journalist," he said in Japanese on the video. "I am about to embark on a trip to Raqqa," he said, referring to the ISIS stronghold in Syria. "Because it very dangerous, whatever happens, I will not blame the people of Syria. I urge the Japanese people not to demand Syrians to take responsibility. But I will definitely come back alive."